UK-wide charity Epilepsy Action is celebrating a new identity in Northern Ireland. The launch of Epilepsy Action Northern Ireland took place at Stormont yesterday (Monday 4 July).
The launch celebrated the new Epilepsy Action Northern Ireland identity, which came into use on 1 January of this year. People from all areas of the epilepsy community in Northern Ireland, including health and education professionals and those directly affected by epilepsy, attended the launch. Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), including George Robinson, Jim Wells, Paul Givan, Kieran McCarthy, Pat Ramsey and Barry McElduff also attended.
As part of the launch, Epilepsy Action Northern Ireland was given a financial boost in the form of a £19,000 donation from Ronnie and Helen Coulter from Hillsborough. Ronnie and Helen’s daughter, Caroline, had epilepsy before she died suddenly in her sleep in 2009. Her parents organised a Ladies Tractor Run to raise funds and awareness in Caroline’s memory.
Ronnie and Helen presented a cheque to Morina Clarke, Epilepsy Action Northern Ireland manager, at Stormont. The money raised will go directly towards helping support people with epilepsy in Northern Ireland. Three other families in Northern Ireland have also lost someone to epilepsy and have recently raised funds for Epilepsy Action Northern Ireland.
Morina Clarke, Northern Ireland Manager at Epilepsy Action, said: “It was great to see so many people out in force to support people with epilepsy and Epilepsy Action Northern Ireland. Our new identity, together with this very generous donation, will help us continue to be a strong voice for people with epilepsy in Northern Ireland. We also hope it will allow us to work with MLAs to improve services for people with the condition.”
Epilepsy Action Northern Ireland has local branches across the country. Branches hold regular meetings and offer a variety of social events and informative talks and discussions relating to epilepsy. Meetings offer the opportunity for people to share their experiences of living with epilepsy, and help to raise awareness of the condition in the local community.
There are around 14,000 people with epilepsy in Northern Ireland and around 1,000 of these are children. Epilepsy Action Northern Ireland is dedicated to improving health services and educational support for people with epilepsy in the country.
For more information about Epilepsy Action Northern Ireland, visit www.epilepsy.org.uk